Hi Navigators! We are joined today by Judy Krasna, Executive Director of F.E.A.S.T, a global community of parents, and those who support parents of individuals experiencing eating disorders. Judy Krasna is the mother of four, mother-in-law of two, and grandmother of three. She is a writer and an eating disorders parent advocate in Israel, where she lives. Judy has been an active volunteer in F.E.A.S.T. and in the Academy for Eating Disorders and is passionate about helping families of people with eating disorders, especially after her daughter Gavriella took her own life after a fierce and prolonged battle with anorexia. In this interview, Judy shares what it’s like to advocate for better treatment and care and describes ways caretakers can be an active part of the treatment team. She creates space to normalize the challenges, pain, and often negative thinking which caregivers and parents can experience with a child or dependent with an eating disorder, and exclaims that is okay to be afraid, nervous, angry, and hurt; and that there are resources — like F.E.A.S.T. — available to help manage these emotions, thoughts, and navigate the complex and often overwhelming eating disorder treatment space. We are grateful for her time, energy, vulnerability, and knowledge. Have a listen!

CW: suicidal ideation, suicide, eating disorders, eating disorder behaviors, self-harm behaviors, eating disorder treatment experiences

In this episode, Catherine and Francis were joined by Simone Seitz, Executive Director of the Carolina Resource Center for Eating Disorders (CRCED), and Anna Lutz, MPH, RD, LDN, CEDRD-S and CRCED board member. The discussion focused on the state of eating disorder care and accessing care, what barriers remain or have been created by the pandemic, and how to move forward as a community oriented towards helping those in need of support for their eating disorder experience. Simone shares what it has been like to navigate assisting and connecting resources to individuals and families seeking care for a loved one the last two years, and how the pandemic has changed the day-to-day operations for eating disorder non-profits. Anna speaks from the clinician’s perspective of areas of growth in treating individuals during a pandemic (telehealth!) and the barriers and limitations that remain. The message was clear, however: while there are still mountains to climb in terms of access to care, understanding bias within the medical community, combating fatphobia and weight-stigma, and creating more resources for individuals seeking care, there is a lot of progress being made and a lot of hope to improve upon the services that already exists. We were – and continue to be – so appreciative of the work Simone and Anna are doing in the eating disorder care space. If you live in or around North Carolina, reach out to CRCED. And if you live elsewhere, your state may have a similar resource center, or reach out to the National Eating Disorders Association for resources and a person to speak with. You deserve the care you feel you need!

CW: eating disorder behaviors, mention of suicidal ideation, mention of loss of life related to an eating disorder

Monday, February 21 marks the first day of 2022’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Lauren Smolar, National Eating Disorders Association’s (NEDA) Senior Director of Programs, joins Catherine and Francis to discuss the mission of awareness week, ways in which folx can get involved, provides resources for anyone wanting to learn more about eating disorders, and the shares the hoped outcomes of raising awareness around eating disorders treatment, access to treatment, and recovery. We were quite thankful for her time, and hope you find yourselves learning, serving, and connecting this awareness week (and always)!

CW: eating disorders, eating disorder recovery, eating disorder treatment

Catherine and Francis are thrilled to welcome Adina Kelman to the podcast. Adina brings a wealth of insight and knowledge to the platform, discussing everything from the language of diet culture and how to approach managing it through an educational lens, to understanding motivation as a complex spectrum rather than a generalization. She also shares pieces of her personal narrative, including her relationship with yoga, which ultimately sent her down a path in recovery. It took Adina years to build the confidence and tools she needed to begin this journey. Since then, Adina has founded A Life In Balance, focused on her deep commitment to and passion for anyone who finds themselves in a constant battle with food. She strives to help individuals find food freedom and harness the tools needed to find liberation from the oppressive nature of diet culture. We really appreciated her vulnerability, sense of humor, and insight during this conversation. We hope you enjoy!

CW: discussions about eating disorders, eating disorder behaviors, eating disorder recovery, diet culture, body image.

Welcome to Episode 84, Navigators! Today, Catherine and Francis dive deep into diet culture, wellness culture, and all the other names of this insidious culture with Dr. Lara Zibarras, a psychologist and food freedom coach, specializing in mindset and behavior change. Lara, who herself is recovered from an eating disorder, shares her experience with orthorexia after her first efforts in recovery, and how diet culture – often guised as wellness culture or other diets like Noom or WW – is terrific and manipulating people back into the throws of disordered eating. As Dr. Zibarrass says, “it can be so alluring”. Please join us as we unpack an area in our society which impacts everyone, often in unconscious or subvert ways, and how best to change our mindsets around food and our bodies.

CW: diet talk*, body image talk, eating disorder behaviors

*this episode goes into great detail about specific diets and their ill effects, so please note that if talking about dieting is challenging, this may not be the best episode to dive into.

Co-host’s Catherine and Francis were joined by Liz Toland, RDN (bio below), at Ellwood Thompson’s grocer in Richmond, Virginia for a live podcast! Acting as emcee, Catherine facilitated a poignant discussion about eating disorder treatment, recovery, body image, nutrition, and finding space to heal. The audience was able to interact and ask questions (unfortunately the internet wasn’t on our side and we missed most of those questions!), and Catherine, Francis, and Liz were able to interact and respond directly with folx. It was a room full of energy and vulnerability, and an evening of important discussion. We were so thankful for Liz’s participation, and for all those who were present to listen, learn, provide their insights and ask questions.

Liz Toland Bio:
Liz is a graduate of Virginia Tech and holds degrees in Psychology and Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise. She completed the VCU Health System Dietetic Internship where she specialized in Clinical Nutrition and completed rotations at an eating disorder treatment center. Liz later worked at this same facility, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders.

Liz’s passion for nutrition counseling began during her undergraduate studies when she counseled individuals as part of her dietetic course work. Liz’s food philosophy is that all foods fit into a balanced lifestyle, and finding the right path to health is unique for each individual. She aims to help clients achieve balance through intuitive eating and eating competence principles.

Liz received her Masters of Science in Dietetics from Kansas University Medical Center and is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN). Liz is a member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the International Federation of Eating Disorder Dietitians, and the International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP). Liz sees clients in the Richmond, VA office.

As a Certified Trauma Specialist, Emily Walton believes how important a trauma lens can be within the therapeutic relationship. In this episode, Emily shares how her relationship with her therapist and her dietitian were important in her recovery from an eating disorder, and specifically how Internal Family Systems and somatic-oriented modalities played a vital role in discovering parts of herself that needed healing. Emily also discusses the pros and cons of self-disclosure on the side of the therapist in the healing process. She is a passionate and purpose-driven graduate student on the way to becoming a therapist who has a desire to work with others in eating disorder recovery. It was wonderful to have her on the podcast!

CW: eating disorder behaviors, eating disorder recovery, specific Western therapeutic modalities, family dynamics, shared lived experiences, trauma

Catherine and Francis were thrilled to be a part of TEDxYouth@RVA’s production in Richmond, Virginia. The theme this year was “You, Me, Us, We.” Every speaker’s story provided a platform to connect, and the co-hosts were honored to be a part of a meaningful evening. In this special digest, Catherine and Francis share what it was like to prepare and do a TEDxTalk, and process their thoughts and feelings afterwards. It’s hard telling one’s own story, especially when literally the entire world has access to it. So while the experience was certainly exhilarating and rewarding, the co-hosts get vulnerable talking about how their own cognitive distortions about body image played a mental role in the days leading up to and after giving the talk. It’s an important reminder that even in recovery, parts of the eating disorder may rear its head from time to time, challenging you to lean on your supports and maintain recovery.

To view the talk — entitled Diet Culture: Healing Through Storytelling — please visit our website at www.navigatingrecoverypodcast.com or watch on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlZjRbZbHNs

CW: eating disorders, eating disorder symptoms, body image dissatisfaction, self-doubt

Emma Manis — founder of EVOLVE — is back with Catherine and Francis to explore the complexities of working in the fashion industry as an anti-fatphobic, anti-diet culture advocate, and what she’s doing to help ensure her own emotional wellbeing as well as tearing down barriers for others. Emma also recounts what helped her stay in recovery during a significant life transition, words with which many individuals can relate. More than anything, Emma wants to remind all of us that Beauty Has No Limits. If you or anyone you know is struggling with body image concerns right now, don’t miss this conversation!

CW: body image dissatisfaction, fatphobia, diet-culture, eating disorders

We spoke with Kelly Clark, an author and advocate for mental health awareness, whose compelling story of struggle, pain, hope and recovery resonated with us deeply. Kelly has been diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder, which at a young age collided head on with disordered eating and body image concerns, leading to a deep need for perfection and all or nothing thinking. Her own recovery story has led her to become an advocate for others, and her professional endeavors include writing a book and creating a business dedicated to helping people smash the system that keeps them punishing themselves so they can find out who they are without disordered eating.

CW: eating disorder behaviors, OCD behaviors, trauma experiences, talk about food and dieting